Bulgarian Medics Await a Fair Verdict in Libya HIV Trial

Workers Accused of Injecting HIV/AIDS Virus in 426 Children

In less than 24 hours, the fate of the Bulgarian medical team will be decided by a Libyan court. Libyan officials have accused the workers of intentionally infecting 426 children with the HIV virus. The workers await a verdict that they hope will be fair.

But fair, is exactly what this situation has not been. Since, 1999 the workers have been detained, with resurfacing ongoing arguments that include conspiracy, confessions allegedly in response to being tortured, poor hospital hygienic practices, requests for financial settlements in the amount of a billion dollars and HIV cases reported a year before the workers arrived,

The word fair has yet to have a place in this tragedy.

Leaving no justice for the families of the 50 children who have died from the virus over the past seven years.

Libyan officials, who were accused of torturing the five nurses and one doctor, were acquitted in trial. While there has been statements regarding a vial found, with the virus, in one of the workers' rooms, a well-known physician has other findings.

Dr. Luc Montagnier, the co-discoverer of the HIV virus, testified at least half of 400 children were infected a year before the workers arrived. He also noted poor hygiene practices being performed at Al-Fatih Children's Hospital (where the children received care), such as nurses who reportedly have been infected with the virus, after being accidentally stuck with needles. What has also been commonplace is the absence of protocol when it comes to protecting patients from blood-borne infections, infection control, etc.

Initially being sentenced to death by the Libyan court in 2004, the life of the detained workers took another turn when the Supreme Court eliminated the death sentence in 2005 and allowed a retrial in the lower court.

Now the question is, what evidence will be presented this time to determine the fate of the medical workers?